Chapter 1

“Ro, I think we need to see other people,” Logan said to his girlfriend Ororo as they walked back to her dorm room.

Logan and Ororo had been dating since high school. Now as sophomores in college, their paths seemed to be going in different directions. His, the life of a college jock “ football, baseball, and volleyball. Her’s, a life of a scholar “ philosophy, sociology, literature, and media studies.

Their time together had become infrequent since the end of their freshmen year. They were nearly inseparable their freshman year when they weren’t in class. Once their plans for the summer were decided, they reluctantly but happily parted company, ready to experience a new chapter in their lives.

Instead of heading home, each spent the summer on opposite coasts. Logan, on the west having fun in the sun on the fabulous beaches of California “ surfing, bodysurfing, and volleyball tourneys. Ororo, on the east, taking in the historic sites and visiting the world renowned book repositories in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Their conversations during that summer dwindled from daily at the beginning to weekly then monthly. Toward the end, Ororo could barely get him on the phone. When she did, he would have to run after five minutes to meet friends.

Ororo looked at her boyfriend as they stood outside of her dorm, close enough to see the people going and coming but far enough away to be out of earshot. After the infrequent conversations over the summer and the lackluster greeting she received when she saw him after their returned to campus, Ororo instinctively knew that the man she loved had found someone else.

They were best friends before they started dating. Their friendship grew out of a group project in economics. Logan was ecstatic to be paired with the “brain” as the kids in school called her and he thought he would charm her into doing all of the work, like he had with other female partners. He even thought of breaking her off a piece of the good wood if she got them a good grade, especially since she had the looks along with the brain.

Ororo, however, had other ideas. She demanded his respect and his participation. Much to his surprise, Logan cooperated and found himself working hard on his part of the project, including spending time, normally spent hanging out with his friends, with Ororo to bring both of their parts together. For their efforts, they earned an A.

Logan realized he enjoyed spending time with Ororo and found himself visiting her on the weekends. Overtime, he grew close to her dad, who taught him about motorcycles. Her father, a respected journalist, loved motorcycles and spent much of his spare time working on them as a hobby. Logan’s mom, Shelia, was happy that her son had found a mentor. As a single parent, trying to raise a headstrong male, she appreciated the male presence in his life. Shelia and Ororo’s mother became fast friends and the families grew close, spending a lot of time together.

It was Shelia and Logan who helped Ororo through the pain of losing her parents after they died in a plane crash. With no relatives nearby, Shelia took over guardianship of the teen, which allowed her to continue living in the only home she knew. The money from her parents’ life insurance policies left her well off. So much so, she was able to, with guidance from Shelia, pay off all of her parents’ bills, including the mortgage and set aside enough for her and Logan’s college education. Ororo, having to grow up quickly, shared some of her newly received wealth with her “other” family, making sure they were comfortable as well.

During their senior year, Logan was sideswiped by a sore loser as he headed home after winning first place in the bike show. He crashed into the guardrail, the momentum taking him and the bike over it. Miraculously, he survived but suffered very serious injuries. It was Ororo’s turned to be strong for both the mother and son as he began the year long healing process. Ro moved in with him and his mom so that she could help him recuperate. Due to the large number of days missed by both of them, their high school graduation was delayed a full year.

Now, leaning against her car, Logan couldn’t meet Ororo’s eyes, knowing that what he was doing was wrong. They had been through a lot together and he knew he still owed her but he had fallen for a redhead over the summer and wanted to see where it would go. Though he knew it would be a long shot, he hoped that Ororo would continue to be his friend.

“Why?” Ororo asked simply.

Still unable to look at her, he spoke honestly, “There’s this girl I’m interested in and want to explore a relationship with her.”

“Really? Is that why you barely had time for me this summer and why you’re always busy now?” she said, maintaining her composure.

“Yeah. I wanted to tell you before it went any further because I don’t want to hurt you, Ro,” Logan said weakly, finally able to look her in the eyes. He could see the tears in her eyes.

“It’s definitely too late for that, Logan. I was hurt when it seemed that everything else was more important than me. It hurt when you stopped calling and you didn’t have time for me anymore,” Ororo said, blinking back her tears, “I knew there was someone else so I’m glad you told me before someone else did.”

Knowing she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and refusing to allow him to see her cry, she told him, “I wish you well in your new relationship.” She turned and walked away.

“Ro, wait,” Logan called out to her. He called out to her twice more, each time getting no response in return. He watched as she entered the dorm without a backwards glance. He knew that just as the door closed on the building, so had the door on their friendship.





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